


The Doctor's Niece

by AweburnPhoenix



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Family, First Kiss, Fluff, RST, Romance, Sickness, UST, UST to RST, World War I, angst with happy ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-21
Updated: 2019-12-21
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:49:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21885511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AweburnPhoenix/pseuds/AweburnPhoenix
Summary: «Historical AU: Philadelphia, Christmas 1918. WWI is finally over, and William Mulder has returned home from combat. Unfortunately, this means his family expects him to marry Diana Fowley -- a marriage he went to war to avoid. Things get even more complicated when he meets Katherine Scully, a woman ahead of her time who is studying to be a doctor at the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania, and who his family disapproves of.»A Prompt from DancesWithCybermen}» Audio version available on the Audio Fanfic Podcasthere
Relationships: Fox Mulder & Dana Scully, Fox Mulder/Dana Scully
Comments: 34
Kudos: 94
Collections: X-Files Secret Santa Fanfic Exchange (2019)





	1. The Meeting

**Author's Note:**

  * For [DancesWithCybermen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DancesWithCybermen/gifts).



> Dear Teresa.  
> You have no idea how much I have enjoyed writing this prompt :D <3
> 
> It's lead me to a path of discovery and diving into the 1910s that I didn't know I needed.  
> I hope that not too much of Downton Abbey has leaked into this story (since it was my main source of inspiration heheheh) and that I made things historically accurate.  
> I wish I had had more time to develop all the ideas that came to mind since I started writing this, but I hope I did your prompt justice.
> 
> Endless love and appreciation to *slippinmickeys*, *monikafilefan* and *AsterBerenboss* for their beta help and encouragement... you ladies ROCK!!! Any mistakes that remain are my own.
> 
> Audio version available on the Audio Fanfic Podcast [here](https://soundcloud.com/audiofanficpod/sets/xf-the-doctors-niece-by-aweburnphoenix)

> _ This is a story of love, courage, determination, and change. It would have been a pleasure to have lived through it. However, experiencing it from the transcendence that being free from time and space gives, has been utterly delightful. Let me tell you about these two magnificent souls whom destiny worked so hard to get together. _

_ Outside of Philadelphia _

_ December 1918 _

William Mulder had trouble sleeping since he had been back from The War. He had been resting comfortably in his old bed for more than a week now, but his body wasn’t feeling completely safe yet. Each and every little sound woke him up, and he was ready to grab his rifle and start shooting. It didn't matter that he knew that he was back in his warm room, comfortable bed, silent house. All those months barely sleeping on a rickety bed, fighting for freedom —and, ultimately, for his life— had left a scar on his psyche and it seemed it might never heal. Shell shock, the doctor had called it at his check-up as he landed in the States. It will pass, he had confidently said. But William wasn’t so sure about it.

Usually, it was nothing. He woke up, listened intently and nothing came up. Surely a creak in the house, an outside animal or just the wind. Tonight, it was different. He was sure someone was awake and around. William lit the candle by his bed and got up. Grabbing his robe and putting it over his light pajamas he walked into the corridor trying not to wake the servants. He had his own room on the second floor, but he’d been sleeping for a couple of days in the Guest room by the third one, hoping that the change of setting might help… But it still wasn’t. 

William listened harder and realized the muffled sound was coming from downstairs, so he quickly made for the second floor. Father was away on one of his business trips, so it had to be either mother or Samantha. He was heading towards the source of the noise, it was his sister’s room, he thought. What would Samantha be doing at this late hour? His mother startled him in the corridor ashe was about to open the door. 

"William! Thank God you are up. Go get the doctor! Your sister is having another seizure,” his mother ran along the hall.

“Another? What do you mean—?”

“There’s no time! I will explain later. Run, now, I will call him so that he is ready when you arrive!”

William got back to his room to get dressed. He grabbed yesterday’s tweed suit, which was still hanged on the valet stand, it being too early for the butler to have replaced it. Luckily, he was used to getting dressed quickly, and putting on just the pants and shirt —leaving out the vest for rapidity—, he was out of the manor in the blink of an eye. 

Not being a hundred percent awake, William almost hit his head getting into the car. These new vehicles hadn’t been designed for people with his height in mind, and he always had to take extra care not to bump his head. He was definitely not fully awake at that time in the middle of the night. 

He drove like a maniac on the dusty roads in the country. They should have moved to the city, everything would be easier, but his father liked the family manor too much, not caring about it being ten minutes away from civilization. The town doctor’s home was on the edge of the town, so William didn’t come across anybody. Lucky for them, because he might have run them over. He was on a mission to get the doctor, and that was what he was going to do. 

William hadn’t visited the doctor’s house in years, not since he and his son had stopped being friends. John had gone to another state to university, he apparently had some family in Maryland, whereas William had decided to stay at the University of Philadelphia. When the crisis was over, he would ask the doctor about how John was doing. Had he gone to the Old Continent? Would he even be alive?

Leaving the car in gear, William jumped off and started banging on the house’s door. The old man opened quite quickly, heeding his mother’s warning.

“Doctor Scully, Samantha—.”

“I know, your mother called. Katherine!” He suddenly yelled. “The boy is here! Get my bag!”

William snorted at being called ‘ _ the boy’. _ He was way past his boyish years, twenty-two and counting. Doctor Scully had delivered him, though. So he had been the boy for him for longer than he had been an adult. He’d let it pass this time.

A petite redhead appeared behind the doctor, seemingly half asleep, but running around with a huge bag and a coat. She had some resemblance to the man, but William had never seen her before. When the doctor had called for Katherine, he thought he had been calling his daughter. This woman had the same name, but she wasn’t Dr. Scully’s daughter, that much he knew. Katherine —the doctor’s daughter, whom he had known since their school years— had dark hair, despite her Irish origins, and was slightly older than him. This lady seemed around his age. William was immediately enraptured by her beauty. Her long red hair was braided at her back, though some locks had escaped it and were brushing her face. She seemed tired, surely by it being the middle of the night and her having been woken up so suddenly. Even in that circumstance, she radiated some kind of warmth that William wasn’t used to. Women around him were always uptight, trying to impress him, looking shy and diminished. Always perfectly groomed and wearing their best attires. But this Katherine was nothing like that. She didn’t seem to care, wearing a plain grey dress and her hair probably as she wore it while sleeping. However, she still had some kind of regal aura around her that William had never felt before.

“We’re all set, William, wake up.” Dr. Scully tapped his shoulder and ushered him back to the car, retrieving him from his daydreaming. “You can stare at my niece once your sister is feeling better.”

* * *

“She has not felt ill in weeks, and now she is sick again. I don't know what could have happened.” Mrs. Mulder said as soon as the three of them were back in the house. She was really worried. Her daughter could be dying and she didn’t know what to do. 

All of them followed her into the young girl’s room, where Monique, their maid, was waiting. It smelled like vomit, and the young girl was covered in sweat.

As soon as the doctor and Katherine entered the young girl’s room, they quickly started examining her while the family watched, their hearts in their mouths.

"This doesn't make sense," Miss Scully said, getting up and pacing the room. 

They had diagnosed the child with Spanish flu a few weeks ago, but this couldn’t be it, again. They hadn’t seen any other patient relapsing weeks after they had been cured. This had to be something else, something different they hadn’t taken into account before. Suddenly, it hit her.

"Did she… urinate before going to bed?" she asked the mother of the child, who was sobbing at her son’s shoulder.

"I guess so…" the woman managed to answer.

Katherine walked around the room, looking for the chamber pot. When she finally found it, she dipped a finger in it and licked it without a wince. 

William should have been disgusted, but he had seen worse in the war. He was, in fact, marveled by the lady’s guts. She not only didn’t care about how she looked, but she also didn’t make a fuss of doing whatever necessary to take care of her patients. It reminded him of the nurses that had taken care of him during the war times. How his eyes had been opened to a new reality.

"It's sweet… It's sweet!” Katherine announced, going back to the sick girl. “Has she been eating much? Hungry? Feeling tired? Thirsty? Dizzy?” 

Mrs. Mulder had almost left the room seeing her work, but she went back when she heard the young lady raised her voice. 

“Well, yes. But she has been more active since William has been back, so…” 

Katherine eyed the house's heir defiantly. So, this was all his fault. Katherine didn’t appreciate the rich people’s way of life. Living in abundance and eating until they blocked their arteries, while there were so many people out there who could barely feed their children. And, here they were, celebrating the coming back of their eldest kid by overfeeding the young one and bringing her to a diabetic coma. Maybe they shouldn’t have been so lucky as to get their son back. Others definitely hadn’t been. She hadn’t been. Katherine pushed the memory of her late father and brother aside and focused on the young lady in front of her.

"Well, I hope it doesn’t cost her her life,” she declared starting to get things out of the doctor’s bag.

“Katherine, enough!” The doctor admonished her, but she stood her ground and kept stealing angry glances at William.

"How is this my fault? Nobody told me she had been sick!" 

William found it strange apologizing to the lady for… for he didn't know exactly what. Enjoying his life now that he didn’t have to fear for it being over any moment? Coming back to his family and eating properly after months of starving? For enjoying time with his sister? It didn’t seem like something bad.

* * *

While the doctor and his niece worked on his sister, William was ushered out of the room. His mother told him that he should go rest, that the doctor would take care of everything and he should not worry about anything. He tried to get back in after a little while but he wasn’t allowed, so he just stayed outside the door, waiting for the crisis to end. 

After an hour or so, Doctor Scully and Katherine managed to stabilize Samantha and left the house, promising to visit the following day to check up on her. Katherine gave William another cold look when she left his sister’s room, and he tried to apologize again, but he still didn’t know what he had done wrong. 

William spent the rest of the night by his sister’s bed, awake, watching her sleep, afraid that she would have another seizure. Still, they wouldn’t tell him what was wrong with her, reassuring him that it was nothing, that he shouldn’t worry. That everything was back to normal. William wondered what the problem could have been. Had she been tired from all the parties? Whatever illness she had had during his absence must have needed for her to rest. 

If they had told him that Samantha shouldn’t have been too active, he would have made her lie down. How was he supposed to know? However hard it would have been because she was not that kind of child. Her always buzzing around had earned her nickname since she was as little as a toddler.

William was lost in thought when he noticed her breathing change and Samantha rolled on her side.

“Hey, bumblebee,” he whispered, checking to see if she was awake or just moving in her sleep.

“William, what are you doing here?” she sleepily opened one eye, and looked startled at his presence.

“You scared us pretty good tonight, little one. Why didn’t you tell me you were sick?”

Memories started coming back to her because her sleepy happy demeanor changed to a worried one in a matter of seconds.

“Mama told everybody to keep it from you. She said it would upset you and worsen your condition.”

William sighed. He didn’t like being kept in the dark. Whatever was going on with his mind, he was determined to be cleared from it. It was just a matter of time, all the doctors said. He just needed to forget about the terrors he had seen. But it wasn’t a threat to his life, so it had to be put aside. He had read in Katherine’s eyes that Samantha’s illness seemed much more dangerous.

“It will not, I promise,” he crossed his heart. “Just tell me what is happening to you.”

“I’m not really sure. I’m thirsty, hungry and cranky all the time. I spent a week in bed a while ago, and it seemed to get better… but I guess it was just a temporary thing, since it is back again.”

“The doctor’s niece said it was all my fault for exhausting you with my presence—.”

“Miss Scully was here?” Samantha woke completely at her mention, and sat up on the bed, smiling wildly. “So, you have met her?”

“I did, yes. But she wasn’t as pleased as you seem to be.”

“What did you do? She’s the nicest doctor I’ve ever met.”

Samantha frowned at him, that funny face she used to make whenever she didn’t agree with her brother’s ideas. Which was usually. They got on really well but the age gap was difficult to handle sometimes. However, he let it slip, he was more curious about his sister’s declaration.

“Katherine is a doctor?”

William realized just now that she had done most of the job, but she couldn’t possibly be a doctor. She was so young. And she was a woman. It just couldn’t be.

“You should call her Miss Scully, silly. Anyway, not yet. But she’s studying for it, at the Woman's Medical College. Oh, William, she is so clever, and lovely and—.”

“Hey, hush, now. Calm down,” William noticed her breathing was getting faster and he couldn’t allow that. Miss Scully would have all the reason to eye him angrily this time. “You are supposed to be resting and I’m only exciting you more and more. I shouldn’t be here.”

“No, please!” She yelled at this getting up, but immediately tucked herself down again. “I promise I’ll behave and stay calm. Please, stay. I have been missing you a lot.”

William pondered his options for a minute. He could go to his room and stay awake for the rest of the night —there was no way he was falling asleep now— worrying about her. Or, he could just stay awake in her room making sure she was okay. It seemed like an easy decision.

“Okay, I will stay. But you have to go back to sleep, it is late and you need to rest.”

“Thanks, William. You are the best big brother. I’m so happy you are back.”

Samantha closed her eyes and tried her best to fall asleep, even when she found it difficult. The little talk with her brother had excited her too much. She wanted to know more.

“You will tell me what you talked to her about tomorrow, will you, please?” she drowsily asked him.

“Of course. I will tell you all about Miss Scully in the morning. Now, be quiet and sleep.”

Samantha seemed to be fascinated by Katherine. William couldn’t blame her. He had been too since the first moment he saw her. He wasn’t used to coming across women so sure of themselves. Now that he knew she was attending University, he was even more impressed. Not everybody was cut out for higher studies. He himself had had trouble in his first year of law school —although he always thought it was because of his little interest in the matter. But medicine… It seemed like an even more difficult thing. In the war field, he had seen limbs amputated, bones showing out from skin, men yelling and crying from pain. It was a terrible view not many grown men could handle. And apparently, Miss Scully was diving into that world willingly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's where I cheated a little. Samantha could not be administered insulin because it wasn't invented until 1922, oops! But I needed her to be this ill and not have her die.  
> So, please, bear with me here and let's suppose that in this AU there was some early "experimental treatment" for Samantha's Diabetes U_U


	2. The Promise

A couple of days after Samanta’s scare, the Mulder ladies were relaxing at the library. The diet the doctors had prescribed was working miracles and Samantha was feeling much better. Small portions, no sweets, and little bread and grains. Also, she needed to rest as much as possible, which was easy to do because she was feeling more tired than usual because of the lowered intake of food.

Being a cold December day, William had decided to stay at home instead of going for a ride as he had earlier planned to do. Samantha was forced to stay indoors too and follow up on her needlework. Her usual duties had been set aside for days since William had been back, as she wanted to be around her brother as much as she could. Their mother had approved, mainly because she thought it would do him good. Having her company the whole time he wouldn’t be left alone to ruminate on his dark thoughts. After that night scare, her opinion had changed. Samantha was to stay indoors and seated as much as possible, so she was trapped under her mother’s nose the whole time. 

Samantha didn’t dislike working on her needlepoint that much, but following her brother around was a much more entertaining activity. She was happy that he had decided to stay and read with them that afternoon. Mother was working on her own piece, a present for the Skinner family for having kept his son safe in Europe. 

“Ma’am,” the butler interrupted their silence, “you have some unannounced visitors. Shall I let them in?”

“Who is it, Mr. Frohike?”

“The Fowley women, ma’am.”

“Goodness gracious, don’t keep them waiting. Bring them in at once,” she said, getting nervous all of a sudden.

Mrs. Mulder left her work on a side table and started checking, quickly, that everything was perfect in the room. She opened the curtains to let more light in, made sure the chairs were in perfect order and put the tea tray away of sight.

“Samantha,” she finally turned to her daughter, “I hope you will be on your best behavior today. Do not embarrass me again.”

Samantha winced, looking at William, and moved from the center of the long sofa she was sitting to the side, so as to leave more space for the visitors.

William had been dreading this moment since he had been back. He had hoped with all of his might that going to war was going to get him out of his parents’ betrothal arrangements with the Fowley family. He had been utterly disappointed when, coming back from Europe, his mother informed him that Lady Diana Fowley had not broken their engagement. Not even knowing that he had been hurt and suffered from Shell Shock made her decide to look for another suitor. They had been expecting her visit, but apparently, they had been away to the country visiting an aunt. She must have been just back. 

“Good afternoon,” the older of the two ladies greeted as soon as they entered the library. “We thought it was high time we paid you a visit. We were wondering how the young man was doing. We hope we’re not interrupting.”

“Au contraire, Mrs. Fowley. It’s a pleasure to see you. Diana, dear, you look lovely today. Doesn’t she, William?” she hinted at her son to be polite as he was not making any attempt to get up from his seat.

“Yes, of course. I’m sorry, Lady Diana,” he finally relinquished, and closing his book he got up and approached the door. “I was engrossed in reading, I didn’t hear you come in.”

“It’s not a problem, William. What are you reading these days?”

The young woman made an attempt to follow him to the sofa he had been sitting on, but, with a quick movement, William turned and sat in an armchair.

“It’s called Moby Dick, by Mr. Melville. Have you heard of it?”

“I’m afraid so. Critics don’t talk too highly about it—.”

“I quite liked it,” Samantha interrupted her, which earned her a scornful look from her mother. “But, please, sit down. Can I get your opinion about my embroidery? I think it’s turning quite pretty, what do you think?” 

Samantha moved further to the edge, to let her sit, and raised her hand up, showing her work.

“It’s ok, dear, I’ll sit right here,” Diana answered walking away from her and sitting by her mother, on the other side of the room.

William always wondered why Lady Diana and his sister didn’t get along better. They were close in age, his sister being sixteen and Diana just turning eighteen.

“I’m not contagious—,” Samantha’s joked, but was quickly cut off.

“Samantha!” her mother said sharply, and suddenly realized she had raised her voice too much. “I think you’re not feeling too well. You should go rest.” Mrs. Mulder decided it was best to remove her from the picture at the present time. Definitely better than having to scold her every five minutes.

“Thanks, Mama. I’m actually starting to feel a bit dizzy,” she placed a hand to her mouth to the horror of the new comers. “I’m sure I’ll be fine as soon as I lie down.”

Her work was politely left beside her mother’s and soon she was on her way out, the rest of the room watching her in silence.

“I think I’ll help her up,” William suddenly said, getting up. “We don’t want to risk her falling on the stairs or something.”

“William, you don’t need to do that. We have visitors. I’ll call Mrs. Spender or Miss Rois.”

“It’s ok, Mama. I should be leaving, anyway. Remember I told you I’d go visit Mrs. Skinner today,” he easily lied. “Had I known Mrs. Fowley was visiting I would have chosen another day. But I don’t want to leave Lady Sharon waiting. It would be so impolite.” He left the book on a shelf and walked towards the visitors. “Pleasure to see you again, Diana,” he reluctantly approached her and kissed her hand.

“What was all that? About being sick and contagious?” William asked his sister as soon as they were on the stairs, out of hearing range from the library.

“I, uhm, I might have thrown up,” she lowered her voice, “over your fiancé’s dress once…”

“You did not!” William tried to hide his amusement as best as he could. It was possibly not well hidden, since Samantha’s scared and worried face turned into laughter.

“It was completely accidental, I promise! Since then, she’s been avoiding me as if I had Polio or something… I don’t blame her, really. I would probably have done the same. But now I’ve realized she is so squeamish. Especially when you compare her to Miss Scul—.”

“Samantha, please, stop. We’ve talked about this.”

Ever since her scare, Miss Scully had visited the house every day to check on Samantha’s health. And every time she left, Samantha couldn’t help talking about all the wonders of her. He started believing she was trying to play matchmaker. Which, as much as he liked the idea, was completely impossible for a myriad of reasons.

“But, William, I’m just… You can’t marry Miss Fowley. It’s not right.”

“Let it be, bumblebee. If you’re trying to push her away, you’ll only have trouble with Mama. “

“You cannot possibly like her.”

Her words stung.

“I used to,” before I knew that another kind of woman existed, he thought. Diana was young and pretty, and from a good family. Everything he should be looking for in a wife. “I made a decision and I have to stick to it.”

“But, if I make her hate me, maybe she’ll back away and you will be free.”

Samantha wouldn’t let it go. And it hurt William so much because there was nothing he would have liked more than making his sister happy. But, this time, he just couldn’t.

“If she has not done so already, knowing that I’m damaged… I don’t think she will because of you.”

“Maybe she doesn’t know, you have to tell her. If she can’t stand being by my side…”

There were sounds in the corridor behind them and they heard voices.

“… I think she’s in her room,” they heard Mr. Frohike approaching and, in a moment, he and Katherine appeared. “Lord William, Miss Scully came to see how Lady Samantha was doing.”

Whenever she came to visit, she looked so different from that first night. Her hair was up, in a modest updo that hid its length. Had he not seen it before, he wouldn't have guessed it almost reached her lower back. Her outfit was always simple, too. It was not always the grey nurse-like dress, but a simple light purple or green dress that let her ankles show. She was wearing higher heels today, but from the distance, he could bet she was still shorter than his shoulder.

“I was just going up to have a rest,” Samantha quickly said, grabbing her brother’s arm. “Will you come up and check my pulse?”

“I’d rather if your brother left us alone, Lady Samantha. He seems to have a very exciting effect on you.”

“But—.”

“Listen to what the doctor says,” he said. He always made an effort and approved of all of Miss Scully’s decisions, even when he didn’t agree with them. He just wanted to be on her side so that she stopped hating him for no reason. “I have to go visit Major Skinner, anyway.”

William kissed Samantha’s forehead and started walking down the stairs, stopping as he approached Katherine.

“Thank you for taking such good care of my sister, Miss Scully.”

“She’s such a nice lady,” Mr. Frohike said when the two ladies were out of sight. “I wonder if she has any suitors…” he added, relaxing his belly which he had been holding in for the entire time.

“Dear Melvin, don’t you think you are a little old for her?”

“Love knows no age, Mr. Mulder. If you don’t make a move soon, I will.”

William eyed him weirdly, wondering where that idea could have come from. Of course, it must have been Samantha. She was turning everybody on her plot.

“I think Samantha has been putting ideas in everyone’s heads,” he sighed, worried about how far his sister would go in her little scheme.

“I don’t think it is so farfetched, William. Life is changing so quickly these days.”

William walked to the entrance, followed by Mr. Frohike, who helped him into his coat before leaving the manor. Luckily it wasn’t raining, so he decided to go on foot. He could have taken the car, but he felt a little air would do him good, help him clear his mind. 

* * *

Visiting Major Skinner always made him uneasy. The man had most definitely saved his life during the war. It had been in the early days, when William was still inexperienced in the field. Major Skinner’s father had fought alongside William’s grandfather in the Civil War, and the man had decided to take William under his wing. William’s grandfather had died saving Major Skinner’s father’s life. Thus, the man didn’t think twice when, on a gas attack, he realized that William’s mask had been pierced. William had fought him, but Mr. Skinner had knocked him out and switched their masks.

“You’ll have plenty of time to be a hero, son,” were the last words he heard from him that day.

After that, William didn’t see him until he was back home from the war. William had had only minor damage thanks to the Major, and after a week he had been back in the line of duty. Mr. Skinner, on the other hand, had been sent back home with gas blindness, which had only gotten a little bit better. William felt responsible for it each and every day. He should have checked his mask, he shouldn’t have let the man help him. Maybe he would have survived the gas better, there were some young men who weren’t affected by gas so badly.

“I might be almost blind, son,” the Major had told him when he visited him, as soon as he was back, “but I am alive. Who knows, maybe this was my blessing. I could have been dead later on if not for this. Don’t blame yourself for it, William. We are both home and alive, and that’s what matters in the end.”

William tried to focus on those words. The Major was completely right. Lots of people had gotten mildly hurt on purpose so they could get sent back home to avoid sure death. He was lucky to be alive, not everybody could say the same. Maybe gas blindness and shell shock was a small price to pay for keeping their lives.

He was about to knock on the Skinner’s door when Mrs. Skinner appeared by his side.

“I thought that was you,” she said, grabbing his hand. “I saw you from the side garden, I was picking some flowers for the dinner table.” Sharon Skinner picked a red rose from the bunch and gave it to him. “Here, give it to your lady for good luck.”

William had to make an extra effort to think about Diana instead of Katherine at that moment. Samantha’s biased wishes had made their way into his mind.

“Richard!” she called the butler as they came inside. “Bring some tea to the drawing-room and fetch Mr. Skinner. Oh, William, he’ll be so happy to see you.”

“Well…”

“Oh, dear, you know what I mean. He’s been talking about you the whole week.”

Major Walter Skinner came down a couple of minutes later, grabbing the arm of the blond butler for support. He was wearing thick glasses so he could see a little, but the Major had told him that, still, he could only see shapes and shadows. However, his other senses had started sharpening little by little.

“Roses…” he smiled, sniffing, as he entered the drawing-room where William and Sharon were waiting. “I see you gave a red one to William, should I be worried?” He smiled jokingly searching for his wife.

“It’s for Lady Diana, I heard she is back in town, so I figured he would go see her.”

Everybody knew of their engagement. It had been settled a month before William had been called to arms, on the eve of Miss Fowley’s Spring Introduction to Society, when she turned eighteen. He shouldn’t have agreed to his father’s plan but he was gravely ill and William had thought it would cheer him up. It must have done the trick, because not much later he had recovered, and William was trapped in a commitment he regretted. When he became an adult and searching for a wife had become one of his priorities, William had promised himself he would choose someone he enjoyed spending time with, someone he loved. He knew first-hand what a loveless marriage was like, seeing his parents coldness to each other, and he didn’t want that. He should have gone through with that promise instead of forgetting it for his father’s sake. He didn’t want to live his father’s life, always away from home, avoiding his family.

“How is your shock going, son,” Major Skinner finally asked William when Sharon excused herself to go check on dinner with the cook.

“Not much better, I’m afraid.” They wouldn’t dwell much on it, but Skinner was one of the few people he could talk to about it. Nobody wanted to really know how he was, how the war had been. Only people who had suffered the same knew what he was going through. “But that is not my main worry these days. Samantha has fallen ill with something mother won’t tell me about. And I’m afraid is pretty serious. Miss Scully is visiting Samantha every day.”

Walter could not see, but he sensed how William's breathing changed. When he talked about his fiancé, he seemed bland, uninterested even. Just mentioning Miss Scully's name brightened his demeanor. They'd call him crazy, but he could swear William started glowing. He couldn't blame him. Katherine Scully was something otherworldly, like an angel. 

“So, you have met the doctor’s niece,” Major Skinner placed his hand on William’s shoulder and his mouth drew a little smile. “She is a really wonderful lady. I am really saddened that everybody is giving her a bad time because of her choices. I hope you are treating her well.”

“Of course I am,” William replied quickly, his pulse quickening. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“Young men tease her, saying she will be a spinster if she keeps on that path. I think she is very brave for focusing on her studies. Jesus, she is only in her early twenties, she still has plenty of time to find a husband. I’m sure she’ll make a lucky man so happy someday.”

“I’m sure,” William replied gloomily.

Major Skinner looked his way. Even though William knew he couldn’t see that well, he felt as if he was seeing through him, right into his mind and how he wished he could be that lucky man.

“Maybe you should give her that rose,” Major Skinner pronounced, lowering his voice as Sharon was coming back.

“William, dinner will be ready in a couple of minutes, do you want to join us?” she offered, while she helped the major out.

“No, thank you, Mrs. Skinner. Mother is expecting me at home. Thanks for the tea and conversation. I’ll see myself out,” he thanked them and headed to the front door

“Think about it, son.” Major Skinner blatantly said. “Maybe this is what you came back for.”


	3. The Ball

A couple of days passed, and William decided he had to act on his feelings. He kept thinking about Katherine at every waking moment. Every morning she came to the house to check on Samantha he needed to be around to greet her and try to make some conversation, which she would avoid saying she was too busy. So William decided he needed to try and get her there in a more relaxed time.

"Mama," he approached his mother that night when everybody else had left after dinner. “Can I talk to you about something?"

"Sure, dear. What is it?” She eyed him for a moment and added, “Are you feeling better?"

William was not used to his mother asking about the state of his mind. She was really concerned about him —never having wanted for him to go to war in the first place— but didn’t have the stomach to really know what he had suffered.

"Yes, in fact." It was not completely true, but William felt it would help his purpose. "I've been thinking that a Christmas ball this weekend could help raise my spirits."

Mrs. Mulder was surprised by that request. She wanted her son to get better but she had to take care of her daughter too. And it seemed like something that would not help at all.

"I don't think it's such a great idea, your sister is still not feeling well,” she started.

"You know I wouldn’t do anything to put her in danger. But we can have it at night, when she is already in bed. Something for adults, which she wouldn't want to attend."

Mrs. Mulder was not sure, but she let him continue.

“Christmas is coming, and we’ve always had some kind of reunion for friends. I think this year we could make it about the war, how it has changed our lives, to celebrate our victory. I think it would help me get over it, focusing on the good things about it.”

Just talking about the war made William remember things he would just as soon forget. Yes, they had won, freedom had been restored. But so many lives had been lost on the way, so much destruction, and unnecessary pain… He tried his best to suppress the dark feelings. He needed this party and this theme to get the invitees he wanted.

"If you think that would help... Give me your list of guests tomorrow morning and I'll have Mrs. Spender and Mr. Frohike make the arrangements ."

"I already did so," he said swiftly, rising from his chair and handing her the handwritten paper he had been keeping in his jacket pocket all day.

"My, my. You have been giving it a lot of thought, I see," she said, pulling her glasses out and going over the list. “Major Skinner, Mr. Byers, Major Doggett… Dr. Scully? I don’t see why—?”

“It’s a party to thank people who have fought and have helped in the war,” he had been preparing this speech all day, knowing his mother wouldn’t approve. “Soldiers should be the most important guests, but we mustn’t forget about the people who care for us when we are back. I firmly believe he and his niece have done a great deal helping the injured and their work should be recognized.”

He felt good about his words. The main idea was to get Miss Scully in the house for a relaxed evening. But the more he had thought about it, the more he thought the reason for the party was a really important one.

“I see..” Mrs. Mulder put down the list and her glasses, considering it. “I think you are right, William. We will do this. With one condition,” she paused, and William realized he wouldn’t have his way that easily. “We’ll invite the Fowley’s, too.”

William was about to retort, but his mother wouldn’t let him.

“You might think there’s no business in them being in this party, but if you are feeling better, it is high time we continue with the wedding preparations. So, it is important that you start spending social events with Lady Diana.”

He should have considered that. There was no way he could get away with his plan if Lady Diana was going to be in the room, but this was as close as he could get with it.

* * *

“Morning, Katherine. You have mail,” she was surprised to hear as she entered the breakfast room, still sleepy.

The night before they had had an emergency which made them get back home quite late. Katherine was surprised at the energy her uncle still had in his fifties. She was young and healthy and still had trouble being that awake and bright every morning. She guessed it was something she would have to learn if she wanted to be a doctor.

“Thanks, Uncle Charlie,” she said, grabbing the envelope and pouring some coffee in her cup.

As she read the letter, she noticed he had stopped eating his breakfast and was staring at her. Her uncle was expectantly waiting for her reaction and it wasn’t exactly a pleased one.

“Aren’t you happy?” he was so glad for her. “This invitation means you’re finally being accepted into society.”

Charles Scully had thought it was a magnificent idea to send his niece to university. When she arrived from Ireland two years ago, half orphaned, sad and scared, he had realized quite quickly that she was a really clever girl and had everything it took to be an amazing doctor. Now, she was already showing her skills —only two years into her studies and she already knew things it had taken him decades to master— and he couldn’t be prouder of her. If only her father could be here to see it. It made him so sad that parts of society weren’t accepting of her efforts, and were ostracizing her for simpleminded archaic reasons.

“I’m afraid it’s just the Mulders’ son not knowing I have been labeled as an outcast,” she said, dropping the envelope and taking a sip from her cup.

Charlie was so sad that the community was not as happy as he was about his young niece becoming a doctor. It seemed that not everybody was ready for women to step forward, away from kitchens and nurseries. 

“Whatever the reason is, I think it will do you good to attend,” she was going to protest, but he would have none of it. While she was under his roof, he was going to do his best for her. He had promised his brother before he had gone to the front. “Katherine, don’t try any excuse. You might not have a proper dress for this, but Katie can lend you something. She’s coming for lunch, you can go over her old wardrobe in the afternoon.”

“Ugh, uncle, do you really think I need to go?”

“I’m quite sure. It would be rude of you to decline this invitation. Your aunt and I will be there too, you won’t be alone. And, who knows, maybe you’ll meet a handsome bachelor whose company you enjoy.”

Katherine was sad to admit she had already met one. Only he wasn’t exactly a bachelor. William Mulder had caught her eye since the moment she had met him. That first night, when he saw her taking care of his sister. She tried to mask it with anger and disdain, looking everywhere for reasons to hate him. But the truth was that she had been easily drawn by his looks. The fact that he didn’t cringe at her doing her job as everybody else did, only made it more difficult not to like him. His treating her like a human being and not as a pariah sealed the deal.

His fiancé was a lucky woman.

Apparently, Katherine’s cousin had been invited too, her husband having been a Training Sergeant in the area. So there was no reason for her to stay at home alone. If only mother had come with her to the Americas instead of staying back in Ireland… She couldn’t blame her. She wasn’t healthy enough to travel, and set Katherine away so that she could have a shining future.

With much reluctance, Katherine spent the afternoon trying on her cousin’s dresses. She had never owned more than three outfits, and she was astonished at seeing the dozen or so gowns that Katie no longer fitted in.

“Pregnancy changes your body for good,” she told her. “You will know all about it someday soon.”

If only that was true, Katherine sighed to herself. She was really looking forward to starting a family as soon as she finished her studies. But every day that passed, she doubted more and more than any man would love her.

* * *

The buffet party started and William was as nervous as a child on Christmas Eve, looking forward to seeing Miss Scully. He checked the front door at every ring and his mother had to scold him so that he would let the butler do his job. 

He thought about each time he had seen Katherine. Every day she looked more splendid than the day before, so he was so eager to see her tonight. She always wore simple dresses, so he was hoping that she wouldn't decline the invitation to the party alleging that she had not an adequate outfit to wear. He had learned from Samantha —she seemed to know everything about the woman— that Katherine came from a poor family in the old continent. 

When he heard the Scullys were finally announced, William left everything to go greet them personally. He was stunned. Taking a closer look at the red dress Katherine was wearing, he immediately realized it must belong to her cousin since it didn't fit her well. It was loose on the bodice —it was not difficult, as she had a tiny waist—, and the half-length sleeves were slightly too big. Nevertheless, she was magnificent. Her hair was curled in perfect waves, and her usual untouched face was enhanced by a slight touch of eye shadow and red lips. She walked in at her cousin's side, following Dr. Scully and his wife.

"Dr. Scully, Mrs. Scully, welcome to our home. Dear Katherine!" he grabbed the doctor's daughter’s hand and kissed it. He felt like hugging her, it had been a long time since he had seen her and they had known each other since they were little kids. But his mother was watching and he didn’t want to annoy her already. "What a pleasure to see you, my dear friend. They said you might not be coming. Is your child feeling better?" 

"Sean has stayed home with her. I'll be leaving soon, I’m afraid. But Katherine here wouldn't come unless I did too. She's not used to these kinds of flamboyant gatherings.”

"Oh, Katherine, thank you for coming,” he grabbed her hand likewise and kissed it too, the touch of her skin on his lips sending shivers to his core. “I hope you enjoy the party. I will personally see to it. Come with me ladies,” he gallantly placed himself in between them and offered them each an arm. “We'll have to find a way to address you differently, won't we? You can’t both be Katherine and Katherine…” 

"I don't see a problem. I should be addressed as Miss Scully and she is Mrs. Pendrell,” the redhead uttered, staying away from his right arm while his childhood friend grabbed his left.

“Forgive her,” the doctor’s daughter said as Miss Scully walked away on her own. “She might seem like a cold woman but she’s just not used to gatherings such as these.”

* * *

William was tired of his mother pushing Diana his way, over and over again. The same number of times that he called on his friend John to release him from the conversation so he could go and talk to somebody else. He was supposedly the party host, his father being away for the umpteenth time, so he should be giving all the guests the same attention. She should have noticed by now.

Diana seemed to be quite happy interacting with his friend, and he noticed how miserable she looked whenever she was pulled away from him. Maybe his plan was working and Samantha’s idea of coupling Diana and Mr. Byers was not that bad. 

William needed to escape the ballroom and get away for a while. Samantha would be his escape card.

"Miss Scully,” he approached her as he saw her alone in a corner. “I was thinking about checking on Samantha, would you care to accompany me?" After a small hesitance from her, he added, "In case she's feeling unwell." 

"I know better than to walk away from a party alone with an eligible bachelor, Mr. Mulder. Especially when he's engaged and his fiancé is around,” she excused herself and started walking away. 

William grabbed her arm to stop her, lightly, but it nevertheless earned him one heated look from her.

“I’m sorry,” he let her go at once. "I assure you my intentions are noble." 

Katherine looked him in the eye for a moment and her initial distrust was quickly forgotten when she realized he seemed to be telling the truth. She hoped this time she wasn't wrong so that the Mr. Krycek incident wouldn't be repeated. 

She felt like they were sneaking away, William pushing her lower back, quickly navigating her through the guests, telling everybody who might try and stop them that they were going to check on his sick sister. Well, it seemed noble enough. She knew where his sister’s room was. If he tried directing her anywhere else she’d kick him and run away. No use in yelling and making a fool of herself once again.

They walked up the stairs and William knocked lightly on Samantha’s door, but there was no reply.

“We should let her sleep,” she whispered, heading back down.

“I want to check on her anyway,” he said opening the door and Katherine thought it was quite a rude thing to do. “Damn, Samantha,” she heard him in the darkness of the room before he was back in the corridor. “She is not here, I should have known she’d sneak away,” he added walking down the stairs, passing her before stopping a couple of steps below her. She nearly ran into him. Turning around, he looked Katherine in the eye. “See? She’s a mischievous young lady. I have a lot of blame on my shoulders, but her being sneaky is not one of them.”

He was trying to apologize for all the times she had blamed him for his sister’s illness. She could see in his eyes, now at her level, that he really cared about her. A deep pain in her stomach ignited. He would be heartbroken when Samantha got sicker.

“Where would she be?” Katherine immediately forgot about every reason why she shouldn’t be there and then with him and her first priority turned to finding the kid and putting her to bed.

“The library, I guess. Just because she wouldn’t dare to try to get into the ball wearing her pajamas.”

When William opened the door to the house library, Katherine followed him in. He walked through it as if it was nothing but her mind went completely blank and her body, numb. She had never seen so many books inside a house in her entire life. Somehow it seemed that they even had more books than the University library. She’d give anything to have access to so many books.

“Impressive, right? It’s my favorite room in the house,” he calmed down too and walked back beside her.

William was eager to find his sister but this was what he had been hoping for the entire evening. A little calm chat with Miss Scully. Samantha could wait a couple minutes, she would be fine.

“If you ever need or want a book, the doors are always open for you. Have a look around, see if there’s something you’d like to read.”

She seemed stuck in place, overwhelmed probably, but he could also see a hint of shyness. Major Skinner was right, she seemed not used to people being kind to her. He hated every person who hadn’t treated her right.

“Humanities and science are this way,” he placed his arm at her lower back and invited her to the end of the library. That was her field of expertise. Maybe they had something she would be interested in.

When they reached the shelves he was aiming for, she spent a few seconds checking the titles and, suddenly, she gasped.

“You have the Lectures by Sir Lawrence? This book has been banned!”

“Would you like to read it?” he smiled at her, making sure she understood he didn’t disapprove.

Katherine didn’t answer right away, blushing slightly, then she kept searching for other titles. William caught her hint and searched for the book she had mentioned, noticing it on the upper shelf. Stretching out his left arm, he reached for the book, wincing silently at the effort and grabbing his shoulder with his right hand.

“Are you okay?” she noticed.

“It’s nothing, an old war wound, that is all.”

She didn’t seem convinced and, when he handed her the book, she placed it away and poked at his left shoulder with her right hand. It hurt and instinctively he grabbed her wrist. 

This time, she didn’t back away. Instead, she moved closer and he felt her breathing speed up. Touching her was like an electric wave of heat and passion. She was so close and he could feel her pulse intensify under his grasp. William wanted to kiss her, so badly. He couldn't remember wanting anybody else with this intensity ever before.

Carefully he bent, ever so slightly, not wanting to go against her will but intensely needing to taste her. She didn’t move away so he took his chance. William grazed her luscious lips with his own for just a second before a slam in the door made them both jump away from each other.

“Bumblebee!” he shouted at his sister, who had walked in the room and closed the door behind her. “What are you doing here? We have been looking for you.”

“Right, I can see that…” she smirked, walking towards them. It had hurt her so much interrupting them, but they had to be warned. “Mama is looking for you, she is on her way.”

“You, sneaky devil…”

“You can thank me later, Bigfoot,” Samantha winked at him, sitting casually on the nearest couch.

Not a second later, the library door opened again, furiously this time, and Mrs. Mulder stormed in.

“William Fox Mulder. What in the Lord’s name are you doing here?” she yelled as she walked in. “Samantha, what are you doing out of bed? Goodness gracious, can none of my children behave as they should?”

“Fox…” Katherine snorted laughing, turning around to grab the book she had left aside a couple of minutes earlier.

“I couldn’t sleep with all the fuss downstairs so I thought I could stay here reading. And William was lending a book to Miss Scully, to help her with her studies,” Samantha impassively said.

“Yes, that is exactly it,” William turned around going to grab the volume, but it was already in Miss Scully’s hands.

“You should be coming back, Miss Fowley has been asking for you,” her mother determined, waiting at the door for them. “Samantha, go up to your room. I will send Miss Rois with a hot herbal tea to help you sleep.”

Samantha’s growl didn’t go unnoticed.

Seeing the three young people moving towards the door made Mrs. Mulder confident enough and she left in a hurry, not wanting to leave the guests unattended for too long.

“So, Fox?” Katherine snorted again. It was the weirdest name she had ever heard. Americans were really a different kind of people.

“My grandfather was so keen on Fox hunting,” he quickly replied, exiting the library and closing the door at his back. “It’s only fair that I know your middle name now, don’t you think?”

Katherine hesitated for a moment, but she could only agree.

“Dana,” she almost whispered before running away to the ballroom with the book under her arm.

William made a quick stop at a mirror behind the stairs, to check on his attire. He was about to walk towards the ballroom again when he noticed in the corner of his eye that her sister was hiding on the landing, looking down.

“What were you doing out of bed?”

“I was trying to snatch a piece of cake… I’m starving!”

She lied, but it was not completely untrue. It had been the main reason for being downstairs, but as she saw her brother sneaking away with Miss Scully, her interest turned completely on them. She was so happy for what she had witnessed and for being able to spare them being found by Mrs. Mulder.

“Samantha, you know you can’t eat sweets anymore. Not if you don’t want to get sick again.”

He didn’t know exactly why it was, or why they had changed her diet to such a strict one, but he knew it was important. It broke his heart, but he would do anything necessary to keep his sister safe.

“Just a little piece, please?”

Samantha brought her hands together, begging her brother to grant her a little treat. Her puppy eyes were bringing him to the brink of allowing her, but he didn’t want to contradict the doctor’s orders.

“Just ask Dr. Scullly—” Samantha winced, “or Miss Scully,” he added knowing Samantha would more easily talk to her.

“Mom won’t let me into the ballroom dressed in pajamas. Can you ask her and then get me a piece, please?”

Fox sighed and nodded, defeated.

“Ok, I’ll see what I can do. Now, go up to bed.”

Happy as a clam, Samantha walked up the stairs, two by two at first, then one at a time as she couldn’t keep up with her usual tomboy style. She started believing that the diet they had put her into was a secret trick to tiring her so she would behave more like a lady.

Fox walked into the ballroom, looking for Katherine Dana. He could not find her, so he approached her uncle.

“Dr. Scully, I can’t find your niece, have you seen her?”

“I’m afraid she has gone home already. She said she wasn’t feeling well.”

William went suddenly somber. The main reason for organizing the ball had left, and now he had to keep up with the rest of the guests. It was going to be a long night. Maybe he would start feeling unwell himself.

“I was wondering if it would be too ill-advised to treat my sister to a little piece of cake,” he said to the doctor.

“I am afraid it would, Mr. Mulder. Even the slightest piece of sugar might cause another shock. She must follow the diet strictly.”

William looked around. Seeing that his mother was nowhere near, he dared to ask.

“Could you tell me what is wrong with my sister? Is it so serious? Nobody would tell me a thing…”

“I am so sorry, William, but I cannot share that information. Your parents think it is best to keep it from you, and I can only agree.”

Fox nodded at his response and walked away.

Dr. Scully felt terrible keeping the truth from William, but they all knew it would be a great shock for him to know. He cared so much about his little sister and knowing the inevitable would not help to his own condition. With some luck, he would be soon married to Lady Diana and expecting a child of his own to keep his mind from his sister.


	4. Old Wounds

Katherine couldn’t sleep. William  _ Fox _ Mulder was flooding her mind in all the ways possible. She had kissed the man. She felt so bad, she shouldn’t have done so. Well, the man had kissed  _ her _ , if she was true to reality, but she had let it happen. If the nonexistent story with Private Krycek had gone so out of hand, she would be sent away forever if what had happened the night before leaked to the wrong mouth. 

She needed to go see him, under a reasonable pretense, and make things clear. 

His shoulder, that was it. Katherine had almost forgotten, but suddenly it made her doctor mind work at two hundred percent. He said it was an old would, but it shouldn’t hurt that much at his stretching his arm or her touching it. Yes, it seemed like a perfectly valid reason to visit. And after taking a look at him, she would ask him to please forgive her for the night before.

“Uncle, I’m heading to the Mulder manor in a minute. There’s something I would like to check,” she said at the breakfast table when Dr. Scully showed up.

It was an interesting change, her waking up before he did. He must have come home late last night.

“Don’t you think it’s a little early? The girl will still be sleeping, if she is following our directions—.”

“It’s about Mr. William, actually,” she interrupted him, which earned her a stern look. “It’s nothing serious, he told me about an old wound that I think should be looked over.”

“Then I guess you don’t need me to go with you.”

She was shocked. Uncle Charles was always encouraging her to take more responsibility, but he usually insisted on accompanying her whenever they had a new patient. She was glad he was leaving her some space this time.

“No, I don’t think so,” she gladly admitted. “But I will tell you about it later to have your opinion,” she added, trying not to be too self-conceited.

“You can take my emergency bag with you,” he said, opening his morning paper as she left the room. “I am sure you will be careful with it.”

He was really putting all of his trust in her and she couldn’t be happier.

Katherine took a cab to the manor. Even though she could have walked there, she didn’t want to be disheveled in the slightest.

Mr. Frohike welcomed her to the house and offered to take her coat. That was one thing that she liked about the Mulder’s manor. Anywhere else she went, she wasn’t as highly regarded. The elite usually despised her for trying to have a career. Things were changing because of the war and women needing to take men’s jobs while it lasted, but most people still hoped for women to go back to their homes and be quiet now that the war was over. She could understand that, to some extent, from high society and snobs. But not from the working class! And still, that was the case ninety percent of the time. So, it was a real change when she realized that two men from the same household not only accepted her choice but also cheered her for it.

“I think Lady Samantha is still sleeping, Miss Scully,” the butler informed her as she walked inside. “But I will send the maid to wake her up.”

“No, no. Please don’t,” she stopped him on his tracks. “I am actually here for Mr. William. Is he awake?”

The look the butler returned was one of surprise but also satisfaction. 

“Indeed he is. Mr. William has had trouble sleeping lately and he is always up with the chickens,” he laughed, though there was also a hint of worry. “Please, follow me to the library and I will let him know you’re here.”

He signaled for her to follow but Katherine took a step forward.

“Oh, thank you, Mr. Frohike, I already know my way,” she admitted, walking the hall she had had the night before. “You can go get him. Thank you so much.”

Pacing as fast as she could, she entered the library and left the doctor’s bag on a desk beside the window. She took the minutes alone to go over the immense shelves of books she hadn’t seen the night before. Maybe Mr. Mulder would lend her some other volumes.

“Morning, Doctor  _ Dana _ ,” he was down quite fast. “What can I do for you?”

As he approached her, William kept an eye on Mr. Frohike, who stood still by the door. Someone else needed to stay in the room if they wanted to be proper and both of them felt more relaxed by the butler's presence. It would make them behave and not trespass the line they had almost tripped over yesterday.

“I came to check on your arm,” Katherine declared raising her voice. And lowering it, she added, “and to discuss a certain event that should have not happened.”

William was defeated. He had been thinking about her the whole night, for the first time in weeks losing sleep over something not war-related. And now she was telling him she regretted what had almost happened. This was not how he hoped for the day to start.

“If you can take off your shirt, I will see what is wrong with your arm,” she raised her voice again, making sure that Mr. Frohike could hear her so that he wouldn't get the wrong impression. 

Looking at the butler, Katherine saw him get shocked for a moment and look their way. When he realized she was looking at him, his sight went back to look towards the other side of the room. His only purpose was to stay in the room, make sure they were not left alone, and not to snoop in any way.

William reluctantly started unbuttoning his vest and the top of his shirt. He thought three buttons would be enough to get the white fabric of his shirt and reveal the wound below his left shoulder. He felt uncomfortable but couldn’t really understand the reason. She was a doctor, she was just treating him. He had been treated by several doctors during his lifetime, several female nurses too. Why was he feeling this way now? 

Katherine was uncomfortable, too. She hadn’t treated many men, and all of them with her uncle present. Even though Dr. Scully had tried, she had only been able to attend to unconscious men, who could not complain about being treated by a woman. This was her first real male patient and she tried to convince herself that that was the reason for her nervousness, and it had nothing to do with the fuzzy feeling in her lower belly.

As soon as William revealed the wound, everything changed. Seeing the initial stages of infection triggered her doctor mode and all her shyness went away.

“You seem to have a mild infection. I can do an initial treatment, but you will have to go to my uncle’s place later for the removal of the infected tissue.”

She started carefully, filling a syringe: sodium hypochlorite, boric acid… and as gently as she could, she sank it into the wound.

William was impressed. If he loved her before, his feelings for her reached a whole other level now. She had the looks, she had the brain, and she had featherlike hands that could apply a shot without him feeling any pain at all. 

He had to marry her. There would be no other way.

“All set,” she finally sighed, while she started putting everything back into the bag.

“Melvin, can you get us something from the kitchen?” Mr. Frohike was startled by this petition, as was Katherine. “I think Miss Scully deserves some tea after her dutiful work.”

“Are you sure I should leave?” Mr. Frohike was really interested in what was going on between the two of them, and didn’t really want to be punished by Mrs. Mulder if she found out he had left them alone.

“We will be alright,” William just declared as he closed back his vest. “Maybe Mrs. Spender can heat some of the chocolate buns?”

“That might take a while, Mr. William,” Frohike was clearly not happy about any of that. 

However, he was more worried about the lady of the house finding out than about whatever might happen in the library, which he clearly had encouraged but now was not so sure about.

“It’s still early,” William finally realized what he was fearing. “Miss Scully is here clearly on a medical visit," he added, pointing at the bag resting on the desk. “We will entertain her until Samantha is awake so she can check on her too. And Mama hasn’t asked for her breakfast yet.” 

They both knew she wouldn’t be down until an hour after she had had her breakfast in bed.

Mr. Frohike finally agreed and left the library with a nod.

“I hope this doesn’t make you uncomfortable, but I wanted some privacy so we could discuss important matters without being disturbed,” William said to her as soon as Melvin left. Only after he said it did he realize that maybe she didn't appreciate the privacy as she seemed to tense a little. He took her for a modern woman, but maybe not as much to sit alone with him.

“It’s okay,” she hesitated a bit, sitting back on her chair, retreating from him. “What did you want to ask?”

Katherine’s heart was racing. She had been so determined when she had left the house about an hour before, but all of her determination was gone now. She knew this wasn’t right, she shouldn’t want him. But being this close to him only made her want William more. She needed to keep her control.

“We have to discuss what happened yesterday, as you said. But first I need you to tell me what is wrong with my sister,” he declared, seriously.

This wasn’t what she had expected. She had been told, over and over, that he was to stay out of it. Nonetheless, the more she got to know William, the more she realized he had a right to know. Samantha would probably not live for much longer. Maybe three or four years if she followed their directions and the experimental drug kept working on her. William deserved to know what was surely going to happen so that he could make the most of his time with his sister.

Still, she hesitated. It was not her decision to make.

“I know that nobody wants me to know, but I’m dying being in the blank. Is she going to be okay?”

“There’s a Canadian doctor working on a medicine for what she has. We’ve been administering her with some experimental treatments that she is responding well to. But they are just temporary. Most likely… she won’t reach adulthood.”

This always felt like the hardest part of being a doctor, and she had never delivered this kind of news by herself, her uncle had always been in charge of that. Katherine felt something inside of her break at the sight of realization in William’s eyes.

“I’m so sorry…”

“No, I don’t accept that!” William got up and started pacing the floor. “There must be some other treatment, somewhere. I’ll go fetch it myself if necessary. We have money, that is not a problem.”

His eyes were threatening to get flooded with tears, a red rim already showing. Katherine knew she shouldn’t be so involved, but seeing him like that was killing her.

“I’m so sorry, but there’s nothing else we can do but wait.”

She got up and walked towards him, caressing his arm trying to comfort him. She felt the need to hug him but was glad she thought twice about it when the library door was suddenly opened.

“Frohike said you were already here for my check-up.” Samantha made her appearance and William turned away, trying to compose himself.

“Yes, I came early today, I hope I am not disturbing you.” Katherine changed her somber demeanor to a more pleased one so as to deal with the girl, who was surprisingly jovial this morning. “How are you feeling?”

“Much better, in fact. Happy news makes me feel good,” she said with a wide grin, pulling her sleeve up and sitting down. 

“What is this happy news then?” Katherine felt that establishing a conversation while she worked on a patient eased the job and their response.

“Well…” Samantha just replied, eyeing intermittently towards Katherine and William. “You two are my happy news.”

“Oh, darling, I think you might have misunderstood—.”

“I know what I saw!” she yelled, somewhat angry for being taken for a fool. “I might be young but I’m not stupid.”

“Samantha, please, calm down and do whatever Miss Scully tells you to do,” William opened his mouth for the first time in a while and started walking away. “I will see you later.”

“Remember checking on the clinic—,” Katherine’s reminder was cut by his shutting off the door. She shouldn’t have told him, it had been so silly of her.

“What is wrong with him?” Samantha asked while she offered her arm, full of old puncture marks. “He was so happy yesterday.”

“I’m afraid life is not so easy as books tell you, darling.”

Katherine knew the girl was secretly hoping for them to get together, always talking about this and that book in which two characters from different status found a way to get married.

“But you love him, don’t you? I can feel it.”

Katherine wasn’t ready for that. Samantha had never been so direct.

“It does not matter. He’s already engaged and I am no lady.”


	5. Decisions

It had been a tough day. William suspected that his sister was not fine, but he wasn’t expecting her disease to be so grave. The news came as a shock and he spent the whole day away, only coming back home when he knew everybody would be fast asleep, not wanting to face Samantha. He doubted she was completely aware of her state, she was as joyful as ever. And he for sure would not be able to hide his sadness from her.

Also, there was _the Miss Scully situation_. He wanted her so badly. As sad as he was about his sister, he kept thinking about the Doctor's niece. Somehow, it seemed like it was the perfect solution. He would marry her, and thus she would be closer to take care of his sister. His mother would not approve of the marriage, but maybe if he put those facts on the table… William thought about his father for a moment. He probably would not like the idea either, but he didn’t care. After all, he seemed to have no interest in his family. His only daughter was ill and dying, and even so, he did not stay at home for more than a day. 

That night he found trouble sleeping, which wasn’t new. But this time, he was awake planning and scheming the best way to put the seed in his mother’s head that this was something that would benefit all of them.

As soon as he heard the house turn to life, he went down to have breakfast and waited for his mother to wake up. When the maid took her breakfast up, William decided he couldn’t wait, and not wanting to waste any moment, he entered his mother’s bedroom.

Mrs. Mulder was eating her breakfast peacefully but was happy to see her son back and unharmed.

“Where were you yesterday, son?" She patted the bed at her side so he sat with her. She didn’t remember him being in her room this early since he was a little kid. “You had us all worried.”

“I am so sorry. I had a lot to think about, Mama,” he paused for a moment and she knew something troubling was coming. “I want to court Dr. Scully's niece."

"What a funny story," she laughed her heart out but he kept his serious semblance. "Dear, you can not be serious. That woman goes around doing all kinds of nasty stuff, tasting young ladies' pee, and God knows what else. You cannot seriously want that for your wife.” 

"Mama, Lady Katherine—." 

“That’s Miss Scully, dear,” she turned as serious as she could at this early hour. 

Her son should not be talking about  _ her _ by Christian name. And surely not addressing her as a lady.

“ _ Miss Scully  _ most definitely saved your daughter by doing that. You should be more respectful."

He had a point, but it didn’t grant her the right to become part of the high class. Goodness Gracious, if that was the case! Mrs. Mulder put her breakfast tray aside, trying to reason with her son. He had been through so much and clearly his mind was not in the right place. Mrs. Doggett had sent her son away to a veterans clinic to help with his trauma, and she was thinking maybe William should be sent there too. She was hoping to spare him the trouble, because she knew there was a chance that the Fowleys would reject him if they knew he was not right in his head. He should be focusing on that, and not on some orphaned foreign girl.

“Dear, what about Lady Diana? You've been—" 

"Nothing!” Mrs. Mulder was suddenly scared by his burst. He had never been a furious lad. “That was yours and Papa's choice. I've never shown any interest. She's so bland. While Miss Scully is so alive, so quick-witted, so… Mama, Lady Diana is a lovely person but she is too young.”

“And when has that been a problem?”

She couldn’t understand her son. Lots of men would give everything they had to be paired with a lady such as the one he had. Young, beautiful, prestigious, with a good heritage… 

“I would very much prefer to marry a _real_ _woman_ , someone who understands the world, who has seen the horrors I have and understands what is going on in my ramshackled mind. Someone who could take care of Samantha. Can’t you see this is perfect? She would be here every time of the day.”

“She has told you, hasn’t she?”

He needn’t answer, she could see the pain in his eyes. That was what she had been trying to spare him. Samantha was on a brisk pace towards her death and there was nothing anybody could do about it. She had been keeping the secret, trying to spare everybody the pain, suffering all of it by herself for everybody else. But now that the cat was out of the bag… She might as well tell him all the truth. Mrs. Mulder sighed and gave it a thought. It might not change anything, she knew her son, but he deserved to know everything there was about his  _ angelical _ Miss Scully.

“I was not going to engage in gossip but I think you should know that Miss Scully is not the perfect person you think she is.”

“What do you mean?”

“It seems that she has some… history with Private Krycek. She tried to trick him into  _ sleeping _ with her. I am afraid she is trying the same with you now. Getting pregnant is the easiest way to get easy money, you know that as well as I do.”

She knew that William was not in the best terms with the Private. He hadn’t been invited to the ball the other night and she guessed it had had something to do with some fight they had had. But surely he would take the words of a war hero before those of a scandalous woman. 

“Mama, I don’t think you should be spreading that kind of hearsay. I am sure you know how much those kinds of stories can hurt the reputation of young ladies, especially when they are orphans and from the other side of the ocean.”

“Oh, dear. I wished it was hearsay. The Private told us himself. It happened in this same house when he was paying his respects to your father.”

“Well, I wouldn’t give much credit to a man who kisses and tells. I would like to hear what Miss Scully has to say for herself—.”

"William, you need to stop this," she interrupted him. This was going too far. "She is a nobody." 

"She's everything I—." 

"Enough!” Mrs. Mulder was tired of the conversation. She wanted to finish her breakfast in peace and start her day properly. “We will speak no more of this matter,” she said picking her tray and taking a sip from her coffee, showing him the conversation was really over. “And don't dare tell your father about this nonsense, you'll cause him a heart attack. Next week we'll start preparing your wedding with Miss Fowley as planned. You will do as you are told, or I will have to send you away.“

It was a hollow threat, though she tried to look convincing so his son would take her seriously. She wouldn’t send him away while his sister was in this state, but he needed to clear his head before he did something stupid.

William was not happy at all, and he stormed out of her room. If only her husband was there to help her. Alas, he probably wouldn’t be any good either. He’d send the boy away at once, not wanting to deal with that or any problem.

* * *

William did not know what to do. Talking to his mother had not gone as planned, and he had even more doubts after that. Of course, his mother couldn’t be right. Katherine hadn’t tried to trick him at all. In fact, she was trying to push him away from her, if anything. Mr. Krycek must have lied, he knew what he was capable of. Getting yourself hurt in your auxiliary hand so that you can be sent back home and escape the war didn’t make you a hero of war. William hadn’t been able to prove it, but he knew what the Russian Rat was capable of. William wouldn't believe any word that came out of Mr. Krycek’s mouth. He should have been sent back to his country, William still didn't understand how he had managed to be accepted in The States. 

He needed to ask her.

Knocking at the doctor’s house, he was relieved to see Katherine opened the door.

“Good, I’m glad to see you finally had time to come and fix your wound,” she said as a greeting, leading him inside.

William had completely forgotten about his arm.

“I am actually here to talk to you,” he said as he followed her along the corridors and into the clinic part of the house.

“You can do so while I fix your wound. I have a lot to do today.” Katherine wondered if he understood that not everybody could spend their whole day chilling in their libraries, reading books for pleasure, going on trips and  _ doing nothing _ . He seemed like a nice chap, but his life was so different from hers… “Sit there,” she signaled to a stool on the left side of the room. Her uncle was at his desk, preparing some prescriptions and getting ready for his daily work. “So, what did you want to talk about.”

William unbuttoned his shirt and wondered about telling her what he had come for. Maybe he should not be poking into her private life, but he needed to know.

“Maybe we can wait until you are done, you may not want to talk about this here,” he lowered his voice and hinted at her uncle, letting her know it might be something embarrassing for her.

“Whatever you have to say, he can hear it too,” she was defensive while she picked some pliers and started working on his wound. She could be more delicate, but right now she wasn’t feeling much sympathy for Mr. Mulder. When he winced at the third pick, her medical mind took over her sentimental one and she started working as best as she could, noticing how his face changed from painful to a more relaxed one.

“I’ve heard a story about you and Mr. Krycek…” he just said, hoping she would get the hint and deny everything at once.

She was taken aback and the pliers she was holding fell to the floor, bringing Dr. Scully’s attention.

“Everything okay? Do you need help, Katherine?”

“Not at all, uncle. Everything is fine, they just slipped from my hand.” She picked them up and left them on a separate tray, bringing new ones with her. "You will not believe me,” she whispered when she was back to William. “Nobody does."  _ Just because I am a woman _ , she sadly thought. 

"I want to believe you," he reassured her. "Please, trust me." 

Those eyes. She had never seen so much care in a man’s eyes. They sucked you in and made you tell them anything and everything at once, like he was a priest that could just pardon any of your sins just by looking at you. She decided to tell him the whole story and let him judge by himself if she was lying or not.

"Private Krycek had been coming to the clinic for some weeks, to check on his wound and reapply the dressing. Much as I am doing right now for you,” she started, while she cut another small piece of infected skin. 

"He was always nice, charming even, one of the few people that seemed to treat me with some respect. One day, I met him at your parents' house, when we were checking on Samantha's flu. He asked if we could take a look at his wound, since we were already there, because it was itching. My uncle let me attend to him on my own, as he was busy with your sister. We headed to a servant's room so he was allowed some privacy. But…”

She stammered and stopped, and William clenched his teeth and fist knowing what was coming. 

"He attacked you," William said the words for her, trying to spare her the moment and showing that he believed her. 

"He tried to,” she continued after a while, swallowing a sob. “He started unbuttoning his trousers and when I realized what was happening I ran downstairs. He yelled  _ frigid cunt _ ," she said in a whisper, "and told everybody that I had jumped at him. Of course, nobody would believe a woman's words over a war hero." 

"I believe you," William quickly declared, placing his hand over hers, making her stop shaking.

Mr. Krycek was no war hero, that much he knew. He was a lying rat that didn’t give a wise’s ass what his words were doing too poor Katherine. Just to save his pride? William hoped God spared the man crossing his way, because he would easily kill him without hesitation.

Katherine was calmed by his words even before his warmth touched her. If only she had known him earlier. She thanked him with her eyes while composing herself. As much as she liked him, he was somebody else's.

“You are all set," she forced herself to let him go. She had finished attaching his bandage a while ago. Giving him a little bottle with a healing ointment she added, "apply this twice a day, and I will check on you on Monday. I have somewhere to be now."

Katherine got up and left without looking back, not wanting him to see her emerging tears. 

"Doctor…" William tried. 

"Hmm?" the man feigned having not been listening to them. 

"Never mind," the thought twice. There was something he needed to do first. 

William wanted her, needed her, and he left the Doctor's house determined to have his way before the day was done. But he was going to do it the right way. Katherine would not suffer for another day and he was going to see to it. 

* * *

"John, would you want to marry Miss Fowley?" 

Of all the strange things that William had ever asked him, Mr. Byers felt like this one was the weirdest ever. 

William was standing at his door, breathing as he had been running for the whole morning. He was disheveled and his vest was buttoned the wrong way.

“Come inside, my friend, and fix your attire. Why would I want to marry your fiancé?" 

"Because you like her and I do not?" 

His words spoke of no love, but William’s eyes were glowing as he had never seen them before. 

“Are you getting cold feet?" 

"Yes. I mean, no. I realized you love her more than I ever will," William declared, not wanting to step around the issue. The sooner he fixed his problem, the better. "And that I love somebody else," he added after a pause. His friend deserved to know the whole truth. 

"Might this other woman be the Doctor's niece?" John showed him inside the library and shut the door behind him, so they could talk calmly inside. 

"How—?" 

"It fits you so well, William. To get enchanted by a stray, spoiled lost cause, and make it your life mission to put her on a pedestal and fix everything for her. Until you find something else to direct your focus and start again. Have you really thought this through?"

They were sitting in front of each other, William pondering carefully about his friend's words. Was this it? Was this just his sense of divine amendment? His need to live in a world of equality and peace? 

No, it wasn't. It couldn't be. His feelings ran deep. He had felt this way from the very beginning, even before he knew anything about her. This was kismet, a soul-deep connection that he just couldn't ignore. 

"Yes, I have," he finally replied, convinced to the core. 

"Okay, then. What do you want me to do?" 

John wasn't completely sure about it, but he would be lying if he said that he wasn't now looking forward to marrying the Fowley's heir. Surely any man in his position would have no trouble accepting William's deal. He just hoped his friend wouldn't regret it. 

* * *

William arrived home when dinner was already served and eaten. Mr. Frohike informed him that Samantha had already gone to bed but would be waiting for him to fall asleep, having missed him for two full days. 

He snooped into her bedroom and saw her asleep, with a book on her lap. With as much care as he could, William tiptoed inside and tucked her in, leaving the book on her nightstand. Turning off the lamp he let her sleep. 

She'd get the good news in the morning. Great news, because he wasn't aiming for anything less. 

Immediately, he made his way down to the drawing-room, where his mother would be relaxing and taking her port wine after dinner. William wondered when his father would be coming home, doubting it would be more than a day before Christmas. 

"William, where have you been the whole day?" his mother scolded him as soon as he entered the room. "I've been worried, dear. Are you alright?" 

"Better than ever, Mama," his smile from ear to ear would say as much. "I broke my engagement with Lady Diana and I'm on my way to asking Dr. Scully for his niece's hand. I just wanted to let you know.”

The crash of Mrs. Mulder's glass on the floor was avoided by the thick rug under her feet, which would now need to be sent away to remove the grape-colored stain. 

"Did I not make myself clear earlier?" She checked on the room's clock. "It is too late now, but I will telephone Mrs. Fowley first thing in the morning to excuse your behavior. Go straight to your room! I hope that tomorrow you are in your right mind again." 

"I am so sorry you don't approve, but I won't agree on a marriage without love. I don't want to be miserable for the rest of my life like you and Father are. I’ll have my way either you like it or not.”

Of all the reasons William had given her, Mrs. Mulder had to agree with this one. If she hadn’t had her children, her life would have been a lonely nightmare. She started thinking. When Samantha was gone in the closer future, if William eloped and left her behind… what would the rest of her life be like? Alone in a ghost house for the rest of her years? She knew her son was headstrong. No matter what she would say or do, he’d go on with his plans no matter what. She didn’t like the idea in the slightest, but with her blessing or without it, he was going to marry Miss Scully. She should stay on his side now that she still had the chance.

“All right, son,” she sighed, defeated. “Do whatever you need to do. I just hope you are not making a mistake. God knows I did…”

* * *

William rushed outside and into the car. Turning on the engine, it made a puffing sound and stood silent. He tried again to no avail. Screaming at the dark night, he jumped off the car and started running towards the city. If the Lord was trying to tell him this was not his destiny, He could keep His ideas to Himself. William Fox Mulder was determined to marry Katherine Dana Scully.

When he reached the doctor’s house, he looked like a beggar. He was sweaty, his shirt was untucked and he had lost his cap somewhere along the way. While he pounded on the door, he tried his best to look as decent as possible.

"Doctor, can I speak to you for a moment?" he said, panting, as the old man opened the door.

"I was heading to bed, Mr. Mulder, can it wait for tomorrow?"

"No, I'm afraid I cannot wait." He hadn’t run for miles to go back home now.

"Is your sister okay? Should I get my bag?" 

William realized that he was giving the man the wrong impression, and that this was not the best time nor in his best appearance for what he had come tonight for. But he just couldn’t wait.

"No, no. Samantha is fine,” he finally started catching his breath. “And I know she'll be better after I do this. It concerns your niece."

"What has she done?" The man was concerned.

"Nothing bad, she has just stolen my heart. I want to marry her, if you would allow it."

He finally let it out, no more dancing around the issue. It was late, his brain was oxygen deprived, and he didn’t care what the man thought about him if only he allowed him his niece’s hand.

"Dear fellow, that is not something you have to ask me, but her." They stalled for a minute. "I think she might still be awake, go on. Third door upstairs."

Dr. Scully was surprised. Even though he had noticed the young man’s interest in Katherine, he didn’t think Mrs. Mulder would allow such a marriage. The boy must have worked hard on her.

William ran up the stairs, taking the steps two and three at a time. He didn't have a minute to lose. 

He knocked on the door like a madman, not caring if he might be waking Mrs. Scully or anybody else. 

"Uncle, what—?" Katherine opened the door, thinking there might be an emergency. When she saw William there, she immediately blushed at her disheveled state and hid behind the door. "What's wrong? Is Samantha okay?" 

"Forget about Samantha, I need to talk to you. Now. Please, come downstairs." 

"I… I'm not properly dressed. Can we talk tomorrow? It is late, you’re going to wake my aunt—.”

William looked at her for a moment. She looked exactly like the first time he had met her. Her hair on a fuzzy braid over her left shoulder, her face white and clean, her cheeks rosy. Perfectly normal, perfectly ravishing.

“You look beautiful, and I cannot wait. I need to do this right here, right now," he declared. "Will you let me in, at least?” 

She was befuddled and didn't react, so William kneeled right there in the middle of the corridor. 

"Will you marry me, Katherine?" 

She couldn’t believe his words. It was everything she wished for, but it couldn’t be. She knew it couldn’t.

"But, what about your engagement? And your parents? And my past? And—?" 

"It is all right," he stopped her, grabbing her hand. "I have taken care of everything. Just tell me, please, would you be my wife? Because I'm dying to spend the rest of my life with you by my side."

“Yes—!” was the only word that left her mouth before William got up from the floor and kissed her lips like he had been wanting to do for days.

* * *

> **_Epilogue_ **
> 
> _ Four years later, our lovely couple is happily married. They have a little boy, William Jr., who is his grandma’s happiness even though he keeps her running after him all along the corridors of the big manor. Katherine still doesn’t know, but she is expecting a little girl who’ll be the spoiled daughter of her proud father. _
> 
> _ Samantha has been ill all this while, holding up as best as she can with Miss Scully’s —Mrs. Mulder now, I still can’t get used to the change— help. For the last couple of weeks, she has been given a new treatment and getting much much better. Maybe this time they have found the correct fix for her disease and she gets to see her nephew and niece grow up. _
> 
> _ God knows I would have loved to have met, hugged and play with my grandchildren, but I guess this is the way life works. Hadn’t I been killed in the war, young Katherine wouldn’t have been sent to the states, become a doctor, met her lovely husband… So I guess all’s well that ends well. _

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading!  
> Kudos and comments are always appreciated, and truly are the nourishment of writers :D


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